Sweeping Changes Needed for Penguins Power Play
It's time for the Pittsburgh Penguins to make some changes to their top power play.
The lack of power play success is one of the most confusing aspects of this season for the Pittsburgh Penguins. A top power play unit with that much skill facing widespread inconsistencies throughout the year just shouldn't happen.
The Penguins power play is almost two entirely different units depending on where the game is played. At home, the Penguins rank sixth in the NHL on the power play and score on 26.9% of their opportunities.
However, on the road they only score on 15.2% of their power play chances which ranks 31st in the league.
Currently in a fight for wild card positioning, the Penguins are going to need to be opportunistic on the road this postseason when given the man advantage. Failure to find success will lead to another first round exit like last season when the Penguins converted just 17% of their power play opportunities against the New York Rangers at MSG.
It will take multiple changes to get this unit back on the right track, starting with their breakout scheme. The drop pass has its advantages, but this team has proven time and again that they cannot properly execute it on a consistent basis, leading to far too many turnovers in the neutral zone.
They also need to rearrange the personnel on the ice, starting with adding Jeff Petry and Bryan Rust back onto the top unit in favor of Rickard Rakell and Jake Guentzel. The Penguins have far too much talent to still have one of the most inconsistent power plays in the NHL, and if they don't figure it out before the playoffs it could cost them their first series win since 2018.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iS99nxjP8c[/embed]
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more!
- Subscribe to Inside the Penguins on YouTube
- Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: @InsidePenguins